Most of Lysara was held aloft in the branches of the forest canopy, but the ground level still had a few squat structures clustered around the spiraling ramps and stairs that led to the village proper. In the center of it all was a sort of 'town square', which was really just a large grassy meadow that had been cleared of underbrush. An ornate fountain rose from the center of the space, craved in the shape of a flock of birds taking flight. A small crowd had already clustered around the fountain by the time Jade and her companions arrived, a few dozen elven men and women armed with a variety of simple weapons.
Most of them bore some version of the same anxious expression, although there were a few exceptions. One woman, a short elf with strikingly vibrant auburn hair, was sitting on a bench a short distance away from the general gathering. She had an ornate wooden staff in one hand and was tracing a pattern across its length with a finger, which was emanating a thin jet of flame. As Jade watched, the woman completed searing a set of charred symbols into the tip of her staff, all while talking animatedly to the man beside her. Her companion bore a calmer demeanor, nodding in response as he meticulously sharpened a curved sword.
"Jade, over here!"
Siora emerged from the throng, waving them towards the main group. The elf was weighed down by a pair of satchels and clutched a messy looking notebook in one hand. As they approached, Jade saw that she was wearing a bandolier of potion vials over her armor.
"Are you coming with us?" Naomi asked.
"Of course." She nodded. Her tone held an undertone of anxiety, but the elf's expression was determined. She hefted one of her satchels. "I had a lot of potions in my workshop, and I'm bringing them all! I'm pretty sure what they do is in here, somewhere." This time, she lifted the notebook.
Before Jade could voice any concerns, Fenrin emerged from the crowd beside them.
"Good, you're here." He said, giving them a nod in greeting. "I was just working on assigning groups. From what Aylin told us last night, the stronghold will probably involve a lot of tight quarters. We're following her suggestion to send only a small team inside."
He gave the mage an appreciative nod.
"What will everyone else be doing?" Luis asked. "Staying here to protect the town?"
"Some of them, yes. The rest will come with the main group to the fortress. We've seen that large patrols periodically come and go, so part of the team will be tasked with guarding the entrance to make sure no returning force comes up behind them while they're inside."
"Good idea." Aylin agreed. "Exploring a dungeon is tricky enough without having to worry about getting attacked from the rooms you've already cleared."
"Exactly." Fenrin nodded. He pointed to a small crowd that was clustered around the fountain and continued. "We're also distributing hammers and maces to everyone who doesn't already have one. They're the best weapons to use against this type of monster. We should have enough of them, so make sure to grab some."
Jade had never held a mace before, and she was pretty sure that the weapon knowledge her class had granted her didn't extend to that type of armament. Even so, there was no denying that her daggers were ill-suited to fighting skeletal enemies. She decided to grab a small hammer before they set off, just in case it proved helpful.
How hard could using a hammer be? Just swing and smash.
On reflection, that sounded like a good way to work out some of her frustrations.
Maybe I should have picked a barbarian class.
"Where do you want us?" Jade asked, changing the subject. "In the main group?"
They all had their quests to conquer the stronghold, and Jade wasn't sure if it would count if they just waited outside of it while other people did the work. But she was happy to let Fenrin and the people of Lysara assign them to wherever they were needed. This was their home, after all.
"Yes." Fenrin gestured around at the surrounding people. Everyone was looking over their equipment, but even Jade could tell that many of them didn't seem very familiar with their weapons. "I know you're new to this world, but you already have more battle experience than most of them. If you're willing, that's where we need you."
Naomi swallowed nervously.
"What will we find inside?"
"Hidden traps, monsters, maybe some treasure, and a boss at the very end of it. We'll probably have to solve a puzzle somewhere along the way too." Luis said confidently. "That'll be your job, Aylin. I've never been good with puzzles."
Fenrin glanced at him in surprise. "Have you conquered a stronghold before?"
"Not personally, but all dungeons are pretty much the same, right?"
That remark seemed to confuse everyone further. Sensing that the discussion was about to be derailed into an unnecessary explanation of Earth fantasy games and stories, Jade stepped in with a course correction.
"Do we know what the boss is?"
"There's no way to be sure." Aylin replied. "But I've pieced together a few clues from the intelligence Fenrin and Seldrin gathered over the past few days. I'll explain on the way."
"Good idea, we should get moving. I'll gather the teams."
Fenrin moved off, organizing the elven warriors into their respective groups. It soon became clear that the largest of them was going to be the rear guard tasked with preventing reinforcements from entering the dungeon behind them. That confused Jade, as she'd expected they'd want to leave more people to defend the village while many of their warriors were away.
"Shouldn't they be leaving more people behind?" She asked Siora.
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"Master Rhysten will be staying here." The elf said, pointing to an elven man who stood alone in the meadow. He had a distinguished look and was the first elf Jade had seen that didn't look entirely youthful. His face was wrinkled, and his brown hair showed signs of greying. Most striking, though, was the man's twisted leg. It bent at an odd angle, making his right foot point out at a sharp angle from the rest of his body. If Jade hadn't seen him standing, she would have assumed the injury… if that's what it was… would have prevented him from walking at all. Apparently not.
"Who is he?"
The man had an intense presence, and Jade couldn’t take her eyes off of him. How had she not noticed him earlier? She tentatively expanded her magical senses, probing curiously at his aura. The elderly elf's eyes immediately snapped onto her, piercing her with a gaze so intense that it contained physical pressure. Jade was forced to look away. She felt herself flush with embarrassment, although she wasn't entirely sure why.
"That was rude, Jade." Aylin nudged her with an elbow. "Don't go poking people with your aura. If you do it to the wrong person, they'll poke back."
"Sorry…"
"Master Rhysten is one of Lysara's council members." Siora explained. "He's a former wayfarer who completed his trial a long time ago. With him standing guard, the town will be safe from any wandering monsters."
"So, he's powerful?" Jade asked. She was tempted to pull up his status window but knew from Aylin that people with highly developed soul sight could detect those intrusions as well. She refrained, not wanting to cause any further issues.
"Very." Aylin said quietly. "I've heard of him. He has excellent control over his mana, but I got a glimpse of his power when he rebuffed you. He's reached 'B' rank, at least. Probably the upper reaches of it."
"People come from all over to ask for his tutelage in the sword." Siora added. "But he hardly takes any apprentices these days."
"Maybe I can convince him, after we're done with this…"
I need to learn how to fight properly. Real technique. Not just spells, talents and the basic moves my class gave me.
"Well, it's a good thing you made such a great first impression." Naomi said, patting Jade on the back.
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"Soooo…. You're a demon, huh?"
Jade ducked under a low hanging branch, shooting a sidelong glance at the woman beside her. It was the elf with the staff she'd seen earlier by the fountain. The energetic woman had been staring so intensely at Jade ever since their group left Lysara that she could practically feel a hole being bored into the back of her head. Fenrin had introduced her as 'Nythis', along with her calmer companion Vamir. Each of them bore glowing marks on the back of their hands, although they weren't as intricate as Jade's wayfarer sigil. These were apprentice marks, the same as Aylin possessed, which she had explained wayfarers could grant once they reached 'C' rank.
"I am, now." she said tersely. Jade had barely been a succubus for two weeks, and she was already tired of explaining herself over and over again.
Maybe I should make cards to give to people.
"I've never fought a demon before." Nythis continued, skipping ahead of Jade and turning around to walk backwards in front of her. She smiled broadly. "Want to fight?"
Jade didn't know how to reply to that. She paused, starting at the elf. Unlike most of the expedition, she wasn't wearing any armor. Instead, Nythis wore a set of loose furs that looked well suited to take advantage of Jade's 'Seducer's Mantle' ability, considering how revealing it was. They trailed at the rear of the group trekking through the forest, some two dozen warriors marching to confront the foe that threatened their home.
"Nythis, don't bother our guests. And we're already on our way to battle, you should save your strength."
That was Vamir, the other warrior from Lysara who had volunteered to delve into the bowels of the stronghold along with Fenrin and Jade's group. He, too, was clad in unusual garb for battle, eschewing armor for a simple, loose-fitting robe. Vamir gave Jade a strained smile.
"I apologize for her. Nythis has a fondness for testing herself against new sparring partners. But we shouldn't be imposing on you any more than we already are."
"Oh… She means training?" Jade relaxed a little. "No, that's alright. After this is done, I wouldn't mind sparring with you. I have a lot to work on."
"Great! See? She said she was okay with it." Nythis's eyes lit up with excitement. She continued before Vamir could reply. "As soon as we get back, then! It's a promise. Your friends can join, too!"
With that, the odd elf bounded off to the front of the column. Vamir just shook his head and followed her, saying something about keeping her out of trouble.
"What did I just get myself into…" Jade muttered.
"Eh, it sounds fun." Luis waved a dismissive hand. "We should practice with other people when we can. Like my Uncle Marco always says, 'everyone has something to teach you, if you're willin' to listen'."
"I never signed up for this." Naomi complained. "I know we have an important mission, but I'm not spending all of my time training. I need time for other important pursuits, like relaxing. And shopping!"
"Shopping is an 'important pursuit'?" Jade asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"It is! I'm all out of normal clothes, Jade. All I have left is this armor, and I've been wearing it for days. Days! I don't even want to think about how I smell…"
"Oh, you're not too bad." Siora said from the other side of their small group. Naomi turned a hopeful gaze on her.
"Really?"
"Not from upwind." The elf grinned, and Jade and Luis laughed.
"Hey… How are you so clean?" Naomi complained, scrutinizing her. Indeed, while Siora was still wearing Naomi's old armor, she'd clearly found time to bathe since the previous night.
"Oh, my house has a bath." She explained cheerfully. "I took one last night after getting home. The guest houses do too, they're up on the third floor."
"No one told me that!"
It took all three of them, and several minutes, to convince Naomi not to turn around right then and there.
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"There it is." Fenrin signaled a halt, pointing. Through a gap in the foliage, Jade could just make out a structure rising from a shallow valley. It reminded her of images she'd seen of Aztec pyramids, with stepped tiers that narrowed as they neared the monument's peak. An enormous, green flame burned in a brazier at the stronghold's pinnacle, which somehow cast an eerie light in the surrounding area even through the daytime sun. The sight sent a shiver down Jade's spine.
"Any patrols?" Aylin asked from beside her. Their party, which now included Fenrin, Vamir, and Nythis, had moved ahead of the rear guard to scout the stronghold. They had already encountered two roaming groups of undead, both of which had been dispatched easily. Now that she could see the ominous form of the stronghold itself, Jade had little hope that the rest of their mission would proceed as smoothly.
"About a dozen guarding the entrance. More of those same monsters." Fenrin replied. He had his eyes closed now, using some sort of spell to get a literal bird's eye view of the scene from his familiar. "Nothing else around."
"Didn't you say there were more of them last time you and Seldrin were here?" Luis asked.
Siora and her brother were back with the rear guard, preparing to watch their backs with the rest of the reserve force.
"I did…" Fenrin sounded troubled. "I don't know where the rest of them are. Mirella hasn't found any more of them, either."
"Isn't this the opportunity we were hoping for?" Naomi asked. "Having an easier time getting in is a good thing, right?"
"As long as they aren't all waiting for us inside." Aylin said.
"Well, that's a cheery thought." Jade said quietly.
"It is, isn't it?" Nythis said, so close to Jade that she practically jumped out of her skin. She hadn't realized the elf was right behind her. "Don't you just love a challenge…? I think we should go for it."
"As much as I'd like to stake out the entrance and wait a while, I'm inclined to agree." Fenrin said, opening his eyes and turning to regard the group. "At least ten people are missing, and they're probably in there. The longer we wait, the more danger they're in."
"So, what's the plan?" Jade asked, putting her hand on the haft of her new hammer.
The half-elf slid his bow off his shoulder and drew an arrow from his quiver.
"The plan is to knock on the front door." He said with a grin. "And see if anyone's home."
That was a plan Jade could get behind.